Indicating counter



June 8, 1948. H. N. BLISS 2,443,064

INDICATING COUNTER 7 Filed Aug. 31, 1945 3 Shoots-Sheet 1 HAAVEYM Buss3mm WMWMZ June 8 1948. H. N. 51.155 2,443,064

7 INDICATING COUNTER Filed Aug. 31, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 HARVEYM BussJune 8, 1948. H. N. BLISS 2,443Q064 INDICATING COUNTER Filed Aug. 31,1945 3 Shoots-Sheet 3 HARVEY Al. Bums Patented June 8, 1948 UNITEDSTATES PATENT orrlcs Harvey N. Bliss, Windsor, Conn., assignor toVeeder-Boot Incorporated. Hartford, Conn, a corporation of ConnecticutApplication August 31, 1945, Serial No. 613,777

The present invention relates to an indicating device or counter havingtwo indicating members with transfer means therebetween. While thedevice constructed in accordance with the present invention may havevarious applications and uses,

\reierence may be had, in the present instance,

to its application to a radio set such as the socalled walkie-talkie setnow commonly employed by the armed services. In such a set, the devicemay be employed in connection with the tuning instrumentality, such asthe condenser, for' indicating the setting thereof in accordance withthe desired stations with which communication is desired to beestablished.

An aim of thepresent invention is to provide an improved indicatorcounter having various features of novelty and advantage and which isparticularly characterized by its extremely small size, its economy inmanufacture, the ease and facility with which the parts may beassembled; its rugged construction, precluding the possibility ofgetting out of order; and the ease and facility with which it may beoperated.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more indetail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the fea- Claims. (01. 116-133)tures of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of partswhich will be exemplifled in the construction hereafter set forth andthe scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appendedclaims.-

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device with part of the cover cutaway;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 ofFig-3;

Fig.3 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 1-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view oi the case taken on line 4-4 of Fig.2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but taken on line H of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-6 of Fig. 5, the cover beingshown in bottom plan and the shaft being omitted;

- Fig. 'l is a bottom view of the letter ring or ring of the higherorder;

Hg. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the transfer pinionadvanced onto the cam Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view showing thetransfer pinion after leaving the cam; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the device which has been separatedalong the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 to show the top and bottom horizontalsections, the top section (at the left of the view) showing the topportion of the transfer pinion engaging the 4 letter ring or ring oihigher order and the bottom section (at the right) showing the lowerportion of the transfer pinion leaving the cam. 7

Referring to the drawings, the device has a casing comprisinga case orbody portion II and a cover Ii secured to the case by screws II. Thecase comprises an integral member or block chambered to provide a rearcylindrical recess II and a forward enlarged cylindrical bore It with anannular step I! therebetween. The rear wall of the case has a concentricopening Ii which forms a bearing for the inner or rear end of a spindlei1. Provided in the forward portion of the cylindrical wall of therecess i3 is an internal annular gear it having equally spaced apartteeth, except that one of the teeth is omitted and in its place alocking shoulder II is provided. for the Ipurpose described more indetail hereinafter. This locking shoulder is in the form of an arcuatesurface extending between the teeth l8'-ll' of the gear. The shoulder isis of slightly larger diameter than the internal diameter of the gearI]. Also, the shoulder stops short of the forward ends of the teeth ofthe gear, that is to say, the height of the shoulder is less than thelength of the teeth so that a space or recess 20 is provided between theforward ends of the teeth It. ll.

The numeral 25 designates a ring which constitutes the counter member ofhigher order. This ring is rotatably mounted in the enlarged bore ll ofthe case, and its inner end engages the step ll thereof. The outsidediameter of the ring is only slightly less than the diameter of the boreso that it rotatably fits therein and is maintained against lateralmovement thereby. The internal diameter of the'ring is substantially thesame as the internal diameter of the recess II of the case. The ringhas, at its rear end, an internal gear 28 which corresponds to theinternal fixed gear [8 in that the teeth have the same pitch and circle,but diflers in that the rotatable gear 28 is not mutilated as will beseen most clearly from Fig. 7. The forward face 21 of the ring isdisposed at right angles to the axis of the spindle I1 and is providedwith consecutively arranged figures which, in the present instance, arein the form of letters running from A to W in a counterclockwisedirection as viewed from Fig. 1. These letters are successively broughtinto registry with a window 28 provided in the cover II, which window isgenerally radially disposed with respect to the axis of the spindle.

The cover is provided with a central bearing 2! in which the spindle isJournaled, his bearing being concentric with respect to the bog is andthe cylindrical recess is and the id. cover is provided on its rear facewith an ular groove to which is interrupted by a rib or stop it (seeFig. 6). The ring tear it has a forwardly entending stud 82 whichengages in this groove and which is adapted to engage the stop 88 inorder to limit the extent of rotation The spindle, which comprises thesenumerals are provided on an indicating 85 positioned against the forwardface of the enlargement id and maintained in position for simultaneousrotation with the spindle by a pin 36 extending into a notch 87 oi thedisk. The inner or rear end of the enlargement'engages against the rearwall oi the case, and the rear lace oi the cover is closely adjacent tothe forward ends of the enlargement and ring so that the ring andspindle are maintained against appreciable axial movement. Theenlargement or collar is slotted at one side so as to accommodate thetransfer pinion 33, and the pin 88, which extends through this slot.constitutes a bearing for the pinion. g

In the present illustrative disclosure, the pinion is shown as havingfour long teeth 38 and two diametrically disposed short teeth it, all orwhich mesh with the teeth of the gears l8 and 28. The rear ends of theshort teeth stop short oi the loc shoulder is so that, during a transferoporation, one of these teeth is accommodated by the space 2t while thelong teeth to either side of the short teeth will be in position toengage the shoulder and the pinion at this time is restrained againstrotation about the pin 36 with theresult that the gear ring 26 will beadvanced one step. 7

From the foregoing arrangement, it will be seen that the spindle may berotated in either direction and. when so rotated, the numerals of thedisk '35 are consecutively brought into registry with the window 28.Further, when the spindle is rotated, the transfer pinion 83, exceptduring the transfer operation, will mesh with the teeth of the fixedgear l8 and the ring gear 28 so that the pinion is caused to rotate byits engagement with the fixed gear, and the ring gear is maintainedstationary, However, when the spindle is turned to a point where thepinion is brought into operative relation with the locking shoulder. thepinion will move from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig.8 in which latter figure one of the short teeth 39 is accommodated bythe space is and the two adjacent teeth extend across the lockingshoulder i9 so that further rotation of the pinion in either directionwould be prevented by engagement oi one or the said adjacent teeth withthe shoulder. The result is that the locking ring is advanced one stepor until the pinion reaches the position shown in Fig. 10, whereupon thepinion again commences to rotate and comes into mesh with the teeth ofthe fixed gear I 8 as shown in Fig. 9.

These numerals are pie in operation .1. construction; the are easy toamble and require no close in anuiacture. The p Y is or get out oi .scan he made very small and, in fact. the pron-eat illustrative drawingsare on a scale 3:12; larger than that required when the device is inconnection with "walhie-talhio" radio equip ment. The device isadaptable for in various sizes depending on the use to wmch the deviceis to be applied. As many changes could he made in the we constructionand many apparently widely erent embodiments of this invention could heso, .1-1 without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended thatall matter contained in the a description or shown in the accomp w w=-'ings shall be interpreted as illustrative t in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the followingclaims is intended to cover all oi the generic and specific features atthe inventlon herein described and all statements 03 the scope of theinvention which, as a matter oi language, might be said to falltherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. An indicating counter comprising" a 1- an integral internal annulargear in the c and having a mutilated portion provided with a lockingshoulder of lesser height L1H: the length of the teeth of the gear, aspindle rotatably' mounted in the casing and constituting a countermember of lower order, a counter member of higher order Journale'd insaid casing about said spindle and having an internal annular gear co.-

extensive with said first-mentioned gear, and a pinion within saidcasing eccentrically carried by said spindle and meshing with the teethof both. of said gears, said pinion having a short tooth stopping shortof said shoulder and plied to extend thereover during a. transferoperation.

2. An indicating counter comprising a casing an internal gearcoextensive with said first gear.

and a rotatable transfer pinion eccentrically carried by said spindleand meshing with both oi said gears, said pinion having a short toothstopping short of sald'shoulderandarranged to extend th'ereover during aportion of the rotation of the spindle whereby to eflect a transferoperation from the spindle to said ring gear.

3. An indicating counter comprising a casing provided at one end with awindow, an integral internal gear in said casing, a. spindle rotatablymounted in the casing and having a radially extending face provided withconsecutively arranged figures adapted to be brought into registry withsaid window. a ring iournalefdin said casing and surrounding saidspindle and havlni on its forward face consecutively arranged adapted tobe brought into registry withsaid window, said ring having an internalgear ccex tensive with said first gear, and a rotatable transrerpinioneccentrieaiiycarriedbysaidspindie and meshing with both of said gears,said pinion and first-mentioned gear being arranged to prevent rotationof the pinion about its axis during a portion of the rotation of thespindle whereby to eifect a transfer operation from the spindle to saidring.

4. An indicating counter comprising a casing having an inner recess, anenlarged bore, and a step therebetween, the wall of said recess beingprovided with an internal gear, a ring constituting a counter member ofhigher order icurnaled in said enlarged bore and engaging at its innerend against said step, said ring havin an internal gear coextensive withsaid first gear, a spindle Journaied in said casing and constituting acounter member of lower order, and a rotatable transfer pinioneccentrically carried by said spindle and meshing with both or saidgears, said pinion and first-mentioned gear being arranged to preventrotation of the pinion about its axis during a portion of the rotationof the spindle whereby to effect a transfer operation from the spindleto said ring.

5. In an indicating counter, a case comprising a block having a rearwall provided with a bearing, an inner recess, and an enlarged bore withastepbetweentherecenandthebore,saidrecess having in its wall an internalannular mutiing a central bearing concentric with said first bearing anda window, a ring constituting a counter member of high order .iournaledin said enlarged bore and positioned between said step and cover, saidring having an internal gear coextensive with said first gear, said ringhaving on its forward face consecutively arranged figures registrablewith said window, a spindle iournaled in said bearings and extendingaxially through said gears, said spindle having within said case andbehind the cover a radially extending face provided with consecutivelyarranged figures adapted to be brought into registry with said window,and a rotatable transfer pinion eccentrically :0 carried by said spindleand meshing with the teeth of both of said gears, said pinio having atleast one short tooth non-engageable with said locking shoulderwhile theteeth to opposite sides thereof cooperate with said shoulder topositively as lock the pinion against rotation and thereby eh'ect atransfer operation.

HARVEY N. BLISS.

